Folded stack of tissues

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a pack of tissues including multiple tissues arranged in a stack and a dispenser including a dispensing orifice enclosing the stack. At least a portion of the tissues are folded so as to have a leading edge contacting the upper surface of a center panel and a trailing edge contacting the bottom surface of the center panel. The tissues are interfolded such as to have a portion of the leading edge of a first, or preceding, tissue overlap the leading edge of a second, or succeeding tissue. In this manner, the leading edge of the first tissue terminates at a first vertical axis and the leading edge of the second tissue terminates at a second vertical axis where the distance between the first and second vertical axis is greater than 0.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Some disposable sheet dispensers have been designed where the dispensingopening is a narrow slot or a slit. Such openings are well-suited topresenting tissue sheets for sequential removal. In some applications,however, it is sometimes difficult to remove the initial sheet from thestack when a narrow opening is present. For instance, the narrow openingcan interfere with the ability of the user to grab the leading edge ofthe first sheet if the leading edge is located in a position that is notadjacent to the opening. Additionally the second sheet in the stack maybe selected prior to the first sheet if its leading edge is in thevicinity of the opening resulting in a double sheet pull.

Another factor that is important in sheet dispensing is the height ofthe sheet that has been dispensed relative to the top surface of thepackage. Some sheet fold and interfold configurations present an exposedsheet that has an exposed sheet height which is too short which mayresult in sheet fallback into the package, increase the possibility ofsheet tearing, or be too short to properly grasp it for properdispensing. Alternately some sheet fold and interfold configurationspresent an exposed sheet that has an exposed sheet height which is tootall which may result in streaming or double pulls or too much of thesheet exposed to the elements. Streaming occurs when the user pulls thetop sheet out, and the subsequent sheet or sheets are also withdrawnwithout the separation of the following sheet or sheets. In addition theappearance of the height of the exposed portion of the pulled sheet ispreferred by consumers if it is in the range where it is not too shortor too tall.

Another issue related to sheet folding and interfold configuration ispackage fill. For economy it is desirable for the stack of sheets tohave the same thickness across the lateral width of the stack. That is,if there are one or more regions across the lateral direction of thestack that have fewer sheets it will result in concave unfilled regionswhich require additional packaging materials to enclose the stack. Inaddition the region with fewer sheets is less stiff, less stable andmore likely to deform during use resulting in a package that may becomemisshapen. In an alternate configuration if there are one or moreregions across the lateral direction of the stack that have more sheetsit will result in convex overfilled regions which also requireadditional packaging materials to enclose the stack. The convexoverfilled regions will also result in an unacceptable packagepresentation.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present invention now provides a folded stack of tissues havingimproved dispensing and more particularly a pop-up style dispensing thatexposes only a portion of the sheet, such as less than half the sheet'swidth and more preferably less than about a quarter of the sheet's widthand still more preferably less than a third of the sheet's width,compared to conventional fold patterns which expose about half thesheet's width when dispensed. This not only protects more of the sheetwhen dispensed, but also makes the tissue well suited for dispensingfrom containers with a reclosable orifice as less sheet is protrudingfrom the container.

Another advantage of the present tissue product is that it provides arelatively compact stack of tissues having a substantially uniform stackheight making it particularly well suited for dispensing from small orcompact dispensers, such as dispensers containing fewer than about 50tissue products, such as from about 10 to about 50, and having an uppersurface area of less than about 250 cm² and more preferably less thanabout 220 cm².

Accordingly, in one aspect the present invention provides a pack oftissues including multiple tissues arranged in a stack and a dispenserenclosing the stack. The dispenser includes a dispensing orifice. Atleast a portion of the tissues in the stack are folded so as to includea leading edge contacting the upper surface of a center panel and atrailing edge contacting the bottom surface of the center panel. Atleast a portion of the tissues in the stack are interfolded such as tohave a portion of the leading edge of a first, or preceding, tissue tooverlap the leading edge of a second, or succeeding tissue. In thismanner, the leading edge of the first tissue terminates at a firstvertical axis and the leading edge of the second tissue terminates at asecond vertical axis where there is a distance between the first and thesecond vertical axis that is greater than 0.

In another aspect the invention provides a stack of S-folded tissuesinterleaved with one another so as to provide a stack having a firstend, a middle and a second end, where the stack height is substantiallyuniform between the first end, the middle and the second end. In suchembodiments the number of folded sheets occurring at the first, middleand second ends is generally equal.

In still another aspect the invention provides a stack of folded tissuessheets comprising a plurality of S-folded tissue sheets, the firstS-folded sheet has a first leading edge terminating at a first verticalaxis and a first trailing edge and second S-folded tissue sheet having asecond leading edge terminating at a second vertical axis and a secondtrailing edge, the first and the second S-folded tissues interleavedwith one another such that the first and the second leading edgesoverlap and that the distance between the first and the second verticalaxis is greater than 0.

In yet another aspect the invention provides a package of tissuescomprising a dispenser having a dispensing orifice and a stack oftissues disposed within the external container, wherein the stackcomprises a first S-folded tissue sheet having a first leading edgeterminating at a first vertical axis and a first trailing edge and asecond S-folded tissue sheet having a second leading edge terminating ata second vertical axis and a second trailing edge, the first and thesecond S-folded tissues interleaved with one another such that the firstand the second leading edges overlap and wherein the distance betweenthe first and the second vertical axis is greater than 0.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a single folded tissue according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of two interfolded tissues according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a stack of tissues according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a tissue package according to oneembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-section view of the package illustrated in FIG. 4through line 5-5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

Generally, the present invention is directed to the storage anddispensing of fibrous webs and more particularly tissue products. Tissueproducts useful in the present invention may include dry and wet wipingproducts and may comprise one or more fibrous webs or plies, wheremultiple plies are arranged in facing arrangement with one another. Forstorage and dispensing the tissue products may be folded, stacked andpackaged in a dispensing container having an opening, slot or dispensingorifice in vertical alignment with the folded edges of the tissues. Insome instances, the edges of tissue products within the stack areinterleaved so that upon withdrawal of one tissue from the stack theedge of the next succeeding tissue is automatically brought through thedispensing opening so as to be readily available when it is desired towithdraw the next tissue.

Turning now to FIG. 1 there is shown a single folded tissue product 10useful in the present invention. The single sheet employed for thetissue product 10 may be single-ply or may be multi-ply. The tissueproduct 10 may be any type of fibrous web and may comprise any knownmaterial for forming absorbent products such as towels, wipes, napkins,and the like. The illustrated product 10 is rectangular having a length(l) and a width (w), where the length (l) is greater than the width (w)when folded. Other shapes of folded tissue products are contemplated andthe invention is not limited to rectangular shaped products. In theillustrated embodiment an individual tissue sheet is folded such thatthe sheet width is reduced by approximately half while the length ismaintained. However, in other embodiments the length may be reduced byapproximately half by folding while the width is maintained.

With further reference to FIG. 1, the folded tissue product 10 comprisesa top surface 11 and an opposed bottom surface 12. The product 10 has alength (l) and a width (w). The product 10 further comprises a centerpanel 14, a top panel 16 and a bottom panel 18. The top panel 16 iscreated by folding the sheet along a first fold line 13 across the width(w) of the sheet to create a leading edge 17. When folded across thewidth (w) the top panel 16 is brought into facing arrangement with thetop surface 11 of the center panel 14 and extends between the leadingedge 17 and the first fold line 13. When the top panel 16 is folded overthe lead edge 17 it is generally parallel to the midpoint (M) of thecenter panel 14 and may abut the midpoint or may be spaced away from themidpoint some distance.

The folded tissue 10 is completed by folding the bottom panel 18 along asecond fold line 15, which is generally substantially parallel to thefirst fold line 13, to create a trailing edge 19. The bottom panel 18 isfolded over towards the midpoint (M) of the center panel 14 and broughtinto facing arrangement with the bottom surface 12 of the center panel14. When folded the first 13 and second 15 fold lines are generallyparallel to one another, while the leading 17 and trailing 19 edges aregenerally parallel to one another.

In the illustrated embodiment the width (w) of the folded product 10 isapproximately half of the unfolded sheet and the first 17 and the second19 leading edges are spaced apart from one another some distance (d). Ina particularly preferred embodiment, such as that illustrated in FIG. 1,the top and bottom panels 16, 18 are folded such that the leading edges17, 19 are folded towards the midpoint (M) and are spaced equal distancefrom the midpoint. In this manner the widths of the top and bottompanels 16, 18 are approximately equal and are less than half the width(w) of the folded product 10.

With further reference to FIG. 1, the first and second fold lines 13, 15are positioned on opposite surfaces of the tissue sheet such that thetop panel 16 is brought into facing arrangement with the upper surface11 of the center panel 14 and the second panel 18 is brought into facingarrangement with the opposed lower surface 12 of the center panel 14. Ina particularly preferred embodiment the top 16 and bottom 18 panels aresubstantially equal in both width and length. For example, in oneembodiment, the top 16 and bottom 18 panels are less than half the width(w) of the folded product 10 and the leading 17 and trailing 19 edgesare both aligned along the midpoint (M) of the center panel 14.

The foregoing fold pattern is often referred to in the art as an S-foldpattern and results in a folded tissue sheet comprising a leading edgeand a trailing edge with the leading edge often being dispensed when thetissue is pulled out of a dispenser. The trailing edge then terminatesthe dispensing of the tissue.

For storage and dispensing single tissue sheets may be stacked togetherto form a stack of tissues. A stack may comprise any number of tissues.For example, in certain embodiments the stack may comprise from about 5to about 100 individual tissue products and more preferably from about10 to about 50 and still more preferably from about 15 to about 40tissue products. When referenced herein, the upper most tissue productin a stack is generally referred to as the nth tissue, while thesubsequent abutting tissue in the stack is referred to as the n+1 tissueand so on.

Preferably all of the tissue products within a stack are folded. Incertain preferred embodiments all of the sheets within a stack arefolded in the same fold configuration. In other embodiments, the stackmay comprise S-folded tissues as described here-in, as well as tissuesfolded in another configuration, such as C-folded, V-folded or Z-folded.For example, in one embodiment the nth through n+10 tissues are S-foldedtissues and the n+11 through n+25 are folded in a different manner thanthe nth through n+10 tissues. While individual tissue products or evensignificant portions of the stack may be folded differently for improveddispensing, or to create a starter sheet(s), or for another purpose, ina particularly preferred embodiment at least the nth and n+1 tissues ina stack are S-folded as described herein.

To ensure proper dispensing adjacent tissues are interleaved with oneanother. In this manner at least a portion of adjacent tissues overlapone another. When interleaved tissue sheets are packaged in a dispenserand the user removes the upper most tissue sheet from the stack thesubsequent sheet will be exposed and have its upper edge available to begrasped by the user. Preferably adjacent sheets in a stack areinterleaved with one another by overlapping the trailing edge of a firstsheet with the leading edge of a second sheet. A particularly preferredinterfolding pattern is illustrated in FIG. 2, which illustrates twointerfolded tissues 20, 21. Each tissue 20, 21 has a leading 22 a, 22 band a trailing 24 a, 24 b edge. The leading edge 22 b of the secondtissue 21 is placed over the trailing edge 24 a of the first tissue 20to create an overlap portion 26. Thus, the overlapping portion 26 may bedefined as that portion of the tissue stack where first tissue 20 liesunder the second tissue 21 and the two tissues contact one another. Inthis context “under” is used in reference to the spatial orientationrelative to the first sheet to be dispensed from a stack or a pack oftissues.

While it is generally desirable to interleave adjacent sheets byoverlapping them with one another, the present invention provides thenth and n+1 tissues S-folded and interfolded with one another such thatthe leading edges overlap one another. That is, for two interfoldedtissues 20, 21 the first leading edge 22 a terminates at a firstvertical axis A and the second leading edge 22 b terminates at a secondvertical axis A2 where there is a distance 23 between A and A2, asreferred to as an edge overlap 23. As further illustrated in FIG. 2,where the first 20 and second 21 tissues are similarly sized,overlapping the first 22 a and second 22 b leading edges to create anedge overlap 23 results in the first 24 a and second 24 b trailing edgesto not overlap one another.

Accordingly, in a particularly preferred embodiment, such as thatillustrated in FIG. 2, the first leading edge 22 a and the firsttrailing edge 24 a both terminate at the first vertical axis (A) and thesecond leading edge 22 b and the second trailing edge 24 b terminate atthe second vertical axis (A2). In this manner the leading edges 22 a, 22b overlap one another to form an edge overlap 23, but the trailing edges24 a, 24 b do not overlap one another.

The fold and interfolding patterns of the present invention are shown inmore detail in the stack of tissues 26 illustrated in FIG. 3. The stackof tissues 26 comprises four S-folded tissue products 20, 21, 30 and 31(also referred to as the nth, n+1, n+2 and n+3 tissues). Now withreference to the two upper most tissues 20, 21 in the stack 26, the nthand n+1 tissues, each tissue has a leading edge 22 a, 22 b and atrailing edge 24 a, 24 b. The tissues are interfolded such that theleading edge 22 a terminates at a first vertical axis A and the secondleading edge 22 b terminates at a second vertical axis A2 therebyforming an edge overlap 23. Further, the first trailing edge 24 aterminates at a first vertical axis A and the second trailing edge 24 bterminates at a second vertical axis A2 such that the trailing edges donot overlap. This interfolding pattern is repeated for the n+2 and n+3tissues 30, 31 in the stack 26. In this manner the leading edge of onetissue is offset or overlaps with the leading edge of the adjacenttissue and the edge overlap is substantially uniform throughout thestack of tissues.

Although the edge overlap is substantially equal throughout theillustrated stack, the invention is not so limited. For example, theedge overlap may vary between the two upper most tissues in a stackcompared to the bottom two tissues. In other embodiments the upper mosttissues in a stack, such as the nth through n+10 tissues may have anedge overlap, while the bottom most tissues in the stack, such as then+11 through n+24 tissues may not have an edge overlap.

The distance between the leading edges of adjacent tissue sheets in astack, i.e., the edge overlap, may vary depending on the width of thefolded tissue product, as well as the type of dispenser, the dispensingorifice and other factors. In certain embodiments, a tissue sheet havingdimensions of 208×213 mm may be S-folded into a folded tissue producthaving dimensions of 208×106.5 mm and two such folded tissue productsmay be interleaved such that their leading edges form an edge overlap ofabout 2 to about 20 mm and more preferably from about 5 to about 10 mm.All distances are measured when the tissue sheets are folded, stackedand have not been dispensed.

With further reference to FIG. 3, all the sheets 20, 21, 30, 31 areS-folded and the sheets are interfolded such that the leading edges ofadjacent sheets overlap one another. While it may be advantageous tohave all of the sheets in a stack folded in a similar manner and for alladjacent sheets to have leading edges which are spaced apart from oneanother, the invention is not so limited. It is however, desirable tohave the uppermost sheets in a stack to be S-folded and interleaved suchthat adjacent sheets have leading edges which are spaced apart from oneanother.

While not wishing to be bound by theory, folding and interfolding tissuesheets in this manner improves dispensing and provides a stack 26 havingfirst 32 and second 34 ends comprising the same number of sheets and thestack 26 having a first height H1, a second height H2 and a third heightH3 that are substantially similar. Conversely, overlapping the leadingedges of adjacent sheets would result in the stack having a convexregion located in the area where the edges overlapped. In otherembodiments, the invention provides a stack of tissues having a firstend having a first height H1, generally measured about 1 cm from thefirst end of the tissue stack, a middle having a second height H2,generally measured at the midpoint of the tissue stack, and a second endhaving a third height H3, generally measured about 1 cm from the secondend of the tissue stack opposite of the first end, where H1, H2 and H3are substantially equal.

One skilled in the art will appreciate that stack height is the verticalmeasurement, taken from a horizontal reference plane, of the pluralityof tissues sheets as it lays unrestrained on the horizontal referencesurface. It is to be recognized that the same size and number of tissuescomprising the plurality may have different heights depending upon thefolding pattern, the caliper of the tissues, interleaved pattern, etc.,used to place one tissue in proximity to the next tissue in theplurality. In those embodiments where H1, H2 and H3 are substantiallyequal there may be slight variations in the heights, such as less thanabout 5 percent and more preferably less than about 2 percent.

Each individual tissue within the stack is S-folded, however, theinvention is not so limited as discussed above. In addition to theillustrated S-folded tissue products the stack may comprise tissueproducts that are Z-folded, C-folded or V-folded. However, where theupper most folded tissue in a stack, i.e., the tissue closest to thedispensing orifice prior to any tissues being dispensed from the stack,is designated as the nth tissue and the next tissue lying thereunder isthe n+1 tissue, it is desirable that both the nth and the n+1 tissue areS-folded. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the nth and the n+1 tissueare interfolded such that leading edge 22 a of the nth tissue 20overlays the leading edge 22 b of the n+1 tissue 21 and the leadingedges 22 a, 22 b overlap such there is an overlap distance 23. Thisinterfold may be repeated for subsequent tissues in the stack. In oneparticularly preferred embodiment all of the tissue products areS-folded and are interfolded according to the foregoing pattern. In thismanner the resulting stack of folded and interfolded tissue products hasan equal number of sheets in each position along the width of the stack.

In other embodiments the surface area of the overlapping edge area oftwo adjacent tissues in the stack is different than the surface area ofthe overlapping edge area of two other adjacent tissues in the stack.For example, the nth and n+1 tissues may have an edge overlap having afirst area, while the n+2 and n+3 may have an edge overlap having asecond area, where the first and second areas are different. Thedifference in the area of the overlap may be created by differences inwidth of the overlapping edges (illustrated as 23 in FIG. 3). Width andlength of the overlapping portion are generally defined in regard to,and measured parallel to, the width and length of the folded tissueproduct. The surface area is measured, or can be mathematicallycalculated, from the width and length.

In one embodiment all of the tissues in a stack have the same overlaparea, such as an overlap area of at least about 4 cm² and morepreferably from about 10 to about 45 cm² and still more preferably fromabout 10 to about 20 cm². In another embodiment the nth and n+1 tissueshave an overlap area from about 10 to about 20 cm², while the n+23 andn+24 tissues have an overlap area from about 10 to about 20 cm².

Stacks of interfolded tissues are generally stored and dispensed from adispenser. Suitable dispensers are well known in the art and may includeboth flexible and rigid dispensers. The tissue stack disclosed herein isparticularly well suited for dispensing from flexible dispensers andmore particularly small flexible dispensers having a generallyrectangular shape with a length less than about 25 cm, such as fromabout 10 to about 25 cm and a width less than about 15 cm, such as fromabout 10 to about 15 cm. Flexible dispensers may comprise polypropylene,nylon or other flexible polymeric material.

Regardless of its construction, the dispenser comprises a dispensingorifice and in certain embodiments may comprise a lid covering thedispensing orifice. The lid may be disposable or may be resealable. Thedispensing orifice through which the enclosed tissues are dispensed fromthe carton can have a variety of forms and dimensions. For example, theorifice shape may be round, square, ovoid, triangular or rectangular. Inother embodiments the orifice may be a simple slit having a relativelysmall width relative to its length. Regardless of the specific shape ofthe orifice, the orifice will generally have a length and a width. Thelength is the maximum dimension of the dispensing orifice in a directionthat is substantially parallel to the leading edge of a tissue to bedispensed. The width of the orifice is the maximum dimension of theorifice in a direction orthogonal to the length of the orifices.

In a particularly preferred embodiment the orifice is a simple slithaving a length that is substantially parallel to the length of thetissue stack disposed within the dispenser. The length of the slit isgenerally measured as the distance between a first end of the slit andthe second end of the slit. The slit may have a length that is equal tothe length of the stack of tissues, less than the length of the stack oftissue or greater than length of the stack of tissues. For example, inone embodiment the length of the orifice is less than the length of thestack of tissues, such as about 70 to about 98 percent of the length ofthe stack of tissues.

The dispenser generally may be made from any suitable material and maybe either rigid or flexible. Particularly preferred dispensers are thoseformed from flexible materials. For example, in one embodiment, thedispenser may comprise a flexible packet produced from a continuous wallof film which is formed into discrete packets having fin seals along thecenter bottom of the packet and end seals. The seals can be effectedeither sonically or thermally as desired. Suitable materials for formingflexible dispensers are well known in the art and include polypropylene,polyethylene, PVA, EVA and nylon. As used herein the term “flexible” itis meant that the film out of which the dispenser is constructed willoffer minimal resistance to bending and will tend to conform or deformin the presence of externally applied forces.

One embodiment of a dispenser useful in the present invention isillustrated in FIG. 4. The package of tissues 50 comprises a flexiblewrapper overwrapping a stack of tissues and sealed at two ends 51, 53.The package 50 comprises a top surface 52 having a dispensing orifice 60disposed thereon. The dispensing orifice 60 is illustrated as being asimple slit, although other shapes and configurations are contemplated.The orifice 60 has a length (l) and a width, which is generally createdby withdrawing the tissue from the dispenser in use and may vary alongthe length (l) of the orifice 60. A tissue product 80 having a leadingedge 81 a is illustrated as being partially dispensed from the dispenser50 through the orifice 60.

Turning now to FIG. 5, which is a cross sectional view of the dispenser50 of FIG. 4 through the line 5-5, a stack 90 of five S-folded tissues80, 82, 84, 86 and 88 are illustrated. Each tissue has a leading edge 81(denoted as 81 a-e) and a trailing edge 83 (denoted 83 a-e). The tissues80, 82, 84, 86 and 88 are each S-folded and interfolded with one anothersuch that the leading and trailing edges of a given tissue are alignedabout either the vertical axis A or A2. Further, the tissues 80, 82, 84,86 and 88 are interfolded such that there is an overlap 85 between thenth and n+1 tissue.

The upper most tissue 80 in the stack 90 is illustrated as beingpartially dispensed through the orifice 60 centered about a verticalaxis (hereinafter referred to as the orifice vertical axis). Asufficient amount of the first sheet 80 has been dispensed such that theleading edge 81 b of the second sheet 82 has been dispensed through theorifice 80. Dispensing in this manner is accomplished in part by theoverlapping of the leading edges of the nth and the n+1 S-folded sheets,as described above.

Once the first two sheets 80, 82 are dispensed the leading edge 81 c ofthe third sheet 84 (the n+2 sheet) will lie adjacent to the orifice 60vertical axis and will be presented through the orifice 60 to be graspedby a user and dispensed. When the n+2 sheet 84 is sufficiently dispensedthe leading edge 81 d of the n+3 sheet 86 will be drawn through theorifice 60 and will be partially dispensed for use by the user.

With further reference to FIG. 5, in the illustrated embodiment, thetissues sheets are folded and interleaved such that the leading edge(e.g., 81 c-e) of each tissue crosses the orifice vertical axis. Forexample, the leading edge 81 c of the n+2 tissue 84 crosses and extendsto the right hand side of the orifice vertical axis while the leadingedge 81 d of the n+3 tissue 86 crosses and extends to the left hand sideof the orifice vertical axis. While this alternating pattern of leadingedges extending beyond the central axis may by desirable, the inventionis not so limited. In certain embodiments only some of the tissues in astack may be folded and interleaved so as to have this alternatingpattern.

Regardless of whether all or only a few of the sheets are folded andinterleaved so as to have the foregoing alternating pattern, it isgenerally desirable for the leading edge of the sheet to be disposedsome distance away from the vertical axis defining the midpoint of theorifice's width. However, the leading edge should not be so far removedfrom the orifice's central vertical axis so as to be out of reach of auser in use. Thus, in certain embodiments, it may be desirable toarrange the leading edge of the tissue such that the vertical axisdefining the leading edge (shown in FIG. 5 as A) is within about 20 mmof the orifice vertical axis, more preferably from about 5 to about 10mm away. This geometry provides a sheet with the trailing edge of thatsheet closer to the orifice than the leading edge of that sheet prior todispensing.

While various folded, stacked and packaged tissue products have beendescribed in detail with respect to the specific embodiments thereof, itwill be appreciated that those skilled in the art, upon attaining anunderstanding of the foregoing, may readily conceive of alterations to,variations of, and equivalents to these embodiments. Accordingly, thescope of the present invention should be assessed as that of theappended claims and any equivalents thereto and the foregoingembodiments:

In a first embodiment the present invention provides a stack ofinterleaved tissue sheets comprising a first S-folded tissue sheethaving a first leading edge terminating at a first vertical axis and afirst trailing edge, and a second S-folded tissue sheet having a secondleading edge terminating at a second vertical axis and a second trailingedge, wherein the first and the second S-folded tissues are interleavedwith one another such that the first and the second leading edgesoverlap such that the distance between the first and the second verticalaxis is greater than 0.

In a second embodiment the present invention provides the stack of thefirst embodiment wherein the distance between the first and the secondvertical axis is from about 2 to about 20 mm and more preferably fromabout 5 to about 10 mm.

In a third embodiment the present invention provides the stack of thefirst or the second embodiments wherein the first and the secondS-folded tissue sheets comprising a tissue sheet having a length and awidth, a top panel folded along a first fold line and terminating at thefirst leading edge, and a bottom panel folded along a second fold lineand terminating at a the trailing edge, wherein the top and bottompanels have substantially equal widths.

In a fourth embodiment the present invention provides the stack of thethird embodiment wherein the distance between the first and the secondvertical axis is from about 70 to about 98 percent of the width of thetop panel and bottom panels and more preferably from about 80 to about95 percent.

In a fifth embodiment the present invention provides the stack of anyone of the first through the fourth embodiments wherein the foldedtissue sheet has a length that is greater than its width.

In a sixth embodiment the present invention provides the stack of anyone of the first through the fifth embodiments wherein the firsttrailing edge terminates at the first vertical axis and the secondtrailing edge terminates at the second vertical axis.

In a seventh embodiment the present invention provides the stack of anyone of the first through the sixth embodiments wherein the stack has afirst end, a middle and a second end, wherein the first end, the middleand the second end comprise an equal number of tissue sheets.

In an eighth embodiment the present invention provides the stack of anyone of the first through the seventh embodiments wherein the stack has afirst end, a middle and a second end and wherein the stack height of thefirst end, the middle and the second end is substantially equal.

In a ninth embodiment the present invention provides the stack of anyone of the first through the eighth embodiments further comprisinginterleaved folded tissues sheets wherein the tissue sheets are V-, Z-or C-folded.

In a tenth embodiment the present invention provides the stack of anyone of the first through the ninth embodiments further comprising athird tissue sheet having a third leading edge and a fourth sheet havinga fourth leading edge wherein the third leading edge and the fourthleading edge overlap one another.

In an eleventh embodiment the present invention provides the stack ofthe tenth embodiment wherein the third sheet has a third leading edgeterminating at the first vertical axis and the fourth sheet has a fourthleading edge terminating at the second vertical axis.

In a twelfth embodiment the present invention provides the stack of thetenth embodiment wherein the third and the fourth tissue sheets areS-folded.

What is claimed is:
 1. A stack of interleaved tissue sheets comprising:a. a first S-folded tissue sheet having a first unfolded leading edgeterminating at a first vertical axis and a first trailing edge, and; b.a second S-folded tissue sheet having a second unfolded leading edgeterminating at a second vertical axis and a second trailing edge,wherein the first and the second S-folded tissues are interleaved withone another such that the first and the second unfolded leading edgesoverlap such that the distance between the first and the second verticalaxis is greater than
 0. 2. The stack of interleaved tissue sheets ofclaim 1 wherein the distance between the first and the second verticalaxis is from about 2 to about 20 mm.
 3. The stack of interleaved tissuesheets of claim 1 wherein the first and the second S-folded tissuesheets comprising a tissue sheet having a length and a width, a toppanel folded along a first fold line and terminating at the firstleading edge, and a bottom panel folded along a second fold line andterminating at a the trailing edge, wherein the top and bottom panelshave substantially equal widths.
 4. The stack of interleaved tissuesheets of claim 3 wherein the distance between the first and the secondvertical axis is from about 5 to about 10 mm.
 5. The stack ofinterleaved tissue sheets of claim 3 wherein the folded tissue sheetlength is greater than the width.
 6. The stack of interleaved tissuesheets of claim 1 wherein the first trailing edge terminates at thefirst vertical axis and the second trailing edge terminates at thesecond vertical axis.
 7. The stack of interleaved tissue sheets of claim1 wherein the stack has a first end, a middle and a second end, whereinthe first end, the middle and the second end comprise an equal number oftissue sheets.
 8. The stack of interleaved tissue sheets of claim 1wherein the stack has a first end, a middle and a second end and whereinthe stack height of the first end, the middle and the second end issubstantially equal.
 9. The stack of interleaved tissue sheets of claim1 wherein the second unfolded leading edge is disposed under andcontacts the first unfolded leading edge.
 10. The stack of interleavedtissue sheets of claim 1 further comprising a third tissue sheetdisposed under the second S-folded tissue sheet and having a thirdleading edge and a fourth sheet disposed under the third tissue sheetand having a fourth leading edge wherein the third leading edge and thefourth leading edge overlap one another.
 11. The stack of interleavedtissue sheets of claim 10 wherein the third sheet has a third leadingedge terminating at the first vertical axis and the fourth sheet has afourth leading edge terminating at the second vertical axis.
 12. Thestack of interleaved tissue sheets of claim 10 wherein the third and thefourth tissue sheets are S-folded.
 13. The stack of interleaved tissuesheets of claim 10 wherein the third and the fourth tissue sheetsfurther comprise a third trailing edge terminating at the first verticalaxis and a fourth trailing edge terminating at the second vertical axis.14. A package of tissues comprising a dispenser having a dispensingorifice and a stack of tissues disposed within the package, wherein thestack comprises a plurality of interleaved S-folded tissue sheets, eachfolded sheet comprising a center panel having a midpoint (M) a top panelhaving an unfolded leading edge and a bottom panel having an unfoldedtrailing edge, wherein the unfolded leading and trailing edges do notcross the midpoint (M) and are spaced away from the midpoint (M), andwherein a first S-folded tissue sheet has a first unfolded leading edgeterminating at a first vertical axis and a second S-folded tissue sheethas a second unfolded leading edge terminating at a second vertical axisand wherein the distance between the first and the second vertical axisis greater than
 0. 15. The pack of tissues of claim 14 wherein the stackof tissues has a width and a length and the dispensing orifice has alength, the length of the dispensing orifice being orientated parallelto the length of the stack of tissues and having a length that is fromabout 90 to about 98 percent of the length of the stack of tissues. 16.The pack of tissues of claim 14 wherein the orifice has a width and alength and a vertical axis bisecting the width and the unfolded leadingedge of the upper most tissue in the stack of tissues crosses thevertical axis.
 17. The pack of tissues of claim 16 wherein the n+1tissue in the stack has a leading edge that crosses the vertical axis.18. The pack of tissues of claim 16 wherein all of the tissues in thestack have an unfolded leading edge that crosses the vertical axis. 19.The pack of tissues of claim 14 wherein the distance between the firstvertical axis and the orifice vertical axis is less than about 20 mm.20. The pack of tissues of claim 14 wherein the overlapped first andsecond unfolded leading edges define an overlap area and wherein theoverlap area is from about 10 to about 45 cm².